Poultry scalder



Aug. 19, 1952 G. w. JOHNSON POULTRY SCALDER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 15, 1947 INVENTOR, far/a1; JaWmwz Aug. 19, 1952 G. w. JOHNSON 2,607,073

POULTRY SCALDER Filed Jan. 15, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 19, 1 G. w. JOHNSON POULTRY SCALDER 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 15, 1947 MM W 7 a w 6 a. z a B rulll\...1w |l I y m f 4 n 2 2 l 6 5 3 fi w 2 w I 0 M/ w v v w v .h z

1952 G. w. JOHNSON 2,607,073

POULTRY SCALDER Win29;

Patented Aug. 19, 1952 UNITED s rATEs PATENT arms-pi 2,607,073 7 PoUL'rRY SCALDER" Gordon W. Johnson, Raytown, Mo., assignor to Gordon Johnson Company, Kansas City, .Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application January 15, 1947, Serial No. 722,100

,This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a poultry scalder, and has particular reference to an apparatus for scalding poultry as it is moved along a conveyor line.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a poultry scalder wherein a series of knife-edged sprays of hot water successively impinge on a fowl as it is moved through said scalder on a conveyor line.

Another object is the provision of a poultry scalder wherein a fowl suspended from a moving conveyor by means of a swivel connection passes successively through a series of thin, high-velocity sprays of hot water, said'sprays being so disposed as to cause said fowl to turn alternately in opposite directions on said swivel connection, thereby obtaining thorough penetration of t -e-feathers of the. fowl. j p '1 A further object is the doubling of the conveyor line within the confines of the scalder cabinet, thereby permitting said scalder cabinet to be more compact. v 1

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, and ease and dependability of operation.

With these objects in view, as well as further objects which will become apparent during the course of the specification, reference will be had to the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a poultry scalder embodying the present invention shown in operative relationship to a conveyor line from which fowls are suspended, and with the right side panels partially broken away to show the interior.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the scalder, with the top panel partially broken away. i

Fig. 3 is afront elevation of the scalder.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line IV--IV of Figure l.

Fig. v5 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section taken on line V-V of Figure v i, showing one of the spray heads and its protecting rods.

Fig. 6 is a reduced vertical section taken on line VIVI of Figure 5.

Fig. '7 is a diagrammatic plan view of a fowl as it is moved between the opposing staggered rows of sprays.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the several views, and the numeral If! applies to a tank, said tank being open at the top and having a bottom 12, sides l4, front It and back I8. An outwardly turned flange 25 is provided at the upper edges of said sides, front, and back. Said tank is supported above the floor by four legs 22 rigidly fixed to said tank at the corners thereof.

Four channel iron corner pieces 24, rigidly fixed in the corners of tank wand extending vertically upwardly therefrom, support at their upper ends a horizontal rectangular frame, comprising Side 3 Claims. (Cl. 17-412) 2 members 26, rear member 28, and a short front member 30 extending inwardly from each of front corner members 24. Said corner members and said horizontal frame support a cabinet-32 open at the front and bottom and comprising side panels 34, back panel 35, and top panel 38, said side and back panels having an outwardly turned flange 39 at the lower edges thereof, which is rigidly fixed to flange 20 of tank Ii]. Said-top panel is provided with a large U-shaped aperturecut therein, said aperture extending fromthe front of said panel to a point adjacent its rearward edge. l K g Two parallel channel iron support-beams extend horizontally from the front to the back of cabinet 32 in spaced apart relation fromthe sides of said cabinet, and are rigidlyattached. at their ends to flange 20 of tank It. A vertically.up.- wardlyextending support is rigidly fixed Ito each of said beams at the forward end thereof, and a similar support44 is rigidly fixed to each of said beams at apoint intermediate its ends. Supports 42 and 44 carry at their upper ends .a

horizontal, rectangular 1 frame comprisingjlfside members 46, rear member 48, and front member 59, said front member extending outwardly beyond upright supports 42 to points adjacent the inward ends of members 30,.leaving a space 52 therebetween. Said horizontal frame supports a U-shaped panel 54 co-planar with toppanel 38, the edgesv of said ,U-shaped panel being spaced apart from the edges of panel 38 to provide a con- 113111110115. U-shaped slot 56 therebetween, as, shown in Figure 2, to provide for the passage of the fowl supporting chains as hereinafter described. The forward ends of said slot coincide with spaces 52 between front frame members, 30 and 50, and

the edges of panels 38 and 54 adjacent said slot are bent to provide downwardly projecting flanges 58. p A conveyor rail (ill is carried substantiallylover slot 56 by supporting members 62. .A plurality of brackets 64 each carry for rotation a roller 66 adapted to roll along said rail. Said brackets are maintained in spaced relationship along said rail, and moved along said rail by a conveyor chain 68 connecting the downwardly extended ends vof said brackets. Suspended from each of said brackets is a chain iii. Chain it hangs downwardly through slot 56 and carries at its lower end a shackle 12 supported by swivel connection 14. Said shackle may be of any type suitable for engaging the legs of a fowl 16. v

A pipe 18 extends horizontally into cabinet;32 through a hole provided in left front corner piece 24 adjacent the upper end thereof,'rearwardly adjacent left side panel 34, through a flange of left rear corner piece 24, across the cabinet adjacent back panel 36, through aflange of right rear cornerpiece 24, forwardly adjacent right side panel 34, and through right front corner piece 24. A pipe 80 extends horizontally into cabinet 32 through ahole provided in left front support 42 adjacent the upper end thereof, rearwardly through left rear support 44, transversely across said cabinet, through right rear support 44, and forwardly through right front support 42. Extending downwardly from pipes 18 and 80 and interconnected therewith, are a plurality of spaced spray tubes 82. The spray tubes carried by pipe I8 are disposed in staggered relation with the spray tubes carried by pipe 80, as shown dia grammatically in Figure '7, whereby a fowl carried between pipes I8 and 80 by the conveyor will be struck alternately by sprays from either pipe.

As clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6, a plurality of spray heads 84 are securely clamped to each spray tube 82 in spaced relationship along said tube, by means of U-bolts 86. A hole 88 bored in the tube coincides with a hole 99 provided in said spray head, and a gasket 92 maintains a seal between said tube and said spray head. A deflector plate'94 integral with each spray head deflects water passing through hole 90 into a vertically disposed flat spray. Fowls passing before said sprays are prevented from accidentially catchin on or becoming entangled with said spray heads by means of a plurality of rubber covered rods 96 disposed parallel to each of pipes 82 and spaced apart from said pipe a distance slightly greater than the length of deflector plates 94. The ends of said rods are carried for rotation in sockets 98 provided in plates I00, which are rigidly attached to pipe 82 adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof.

Pipes (8 and 88 are equipped with valves I02 adjacent their forward ends, and are interconnected at their forward ends with downwardly extending pipes I 04. Said pipes are interconnected at their lower ends with a common supply pipe I 06, said pipe being interconnected by pipe I08 with the delivery side of pump IIG. Said pump is carried by and directly driven by motor II 2, which'rests on the floor in front of tank It].

A drain pipe II4 interconnects the bottom of tank II) with the intake side of pump III). A strainer trough I I6 comprising a rectangular box open at the top and having screen sides H8, is'

removably contained in tank I0, extending substantially from front to back of said tank, and extending above the water level I20 in said tank. Said strainer trough is maintained laterally in the center of said tank by a pair of angle iron guides I22 securely fixed to the bottom of said tank. A short downspout I24 extending downwardly from the bottom of said strainer trough, is adapted to extend into drain pipe H4. Thus, water draining into tank In from the poultry being scalded must pass through screens I Ill 'before returning to pump III! for recirculation. Said screens will trap all feathers and other foreign material. Said strainer trough may be easily removed from tank In for cleaning by lifting the forward end thereof and pulling the trough forwardly through the space between forward supports 42. Normally the space between said supports may be closed by a removable access door I26 resting at its lower edge on flange 20, where it is positioned bypins I28 fixed to said door andextendin'g through said flange, and removably fastened at its upper edge to front frame member'by means of fasteners I30.

A pair of pipes I32 carried in tank in and extending substantially the length of said tank on either side of strainer trough H6 and adjacent the bottom of said tank, are provided with a plurality of perforations I34 through which steam may be passed to heat the water in said tank. Said pipes are supported on blocks I36 fixed to the bottom of tank I0. Said pipes extend through the front I6 of said tank, and are interconnected at their forward ends with pipe I38. A hose I40 is connected with said pipe and supplies steam to said pipe from any suitable source.

A trough I42 is rigidly fixed to flange 20 of tank ID adjacent the right side of the front of said tank, and slopes downwardly away from said tank. Said trough is immediately beneath the fowls 16 as they enter cabinet 32, and assists in moving the depending head and neck of the fowl over the edge of tank II] in case the fowlis long enough to hand below the top of the tank. A similar trough I44 fixed to flange 29 of tank It adjacent the left side of the front of said tank and sloping downwardly into said tank, assists in moving the heads and necks of fowl over the edge of said tank as said fowls exit from the cabinet.

Referring to Figure '7, it will be seen that as a fowl is moved in a U-shaped path through cabinet 32 by the conveyor as described, it will pass alternately through sprays from tubes 82 carried by pipe I8, and sprays from tubes 82 carried by pipe 80. Since these spray tubes are in staggered relation, the fowl will be caused by the force of said sprays to rotate on swivel connections 14, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, as indicated by arrows in Figure 7. This repeated reversal of rotation, combined with the penetrating effect of the thin, sheet-like sprays, provides an efiicient means for rapidly and thoroughly soaking the feathers on all parts of the body. Another feature of the present invention is the inclusion of a large number of sprays within a comparatively compact cabinet, this desirable result being obtained by doubling the path of travel of the poultry as it passes through said cabinet.

It is apparent that many variations of details could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore, desired to be limited only by the scope of the claims. The improvements I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent are:

1. In a poultry scalder, a conveyor having means for supporting a bird to be scalded in suspended relationship thereto and for free rotation on a vertical axis; a pair of spaced, opposed rows of spray heads, each including a vertical row of spray nozzles disposed to direct jets of fluid against the bird as the latter is advanced by the conveyor, the spray heads of one row thereof being offset relative to the spray heads of the other row thereof whereby the bird is caused to swing on said vertical axis by the force of said jets of fluid as the same is advanced by the conveyor; and a plurality of spaced, vertical rod for each spray head respectively, and disposed between the bird and the spray heads to hold the bird against engagement with the spray heads.

2. In a poultry scalder as set forth in claim 1 wherein each spray nozzle is-provided with a vertical deflector plate extending laterally from the spray heads within the path of travel of fluid emanating therefrom to form a diffused spray to impinge upon the bird, and wherein the vertical rods for each spray head respectively are disposed between the bird and the deflector plates to hold the bird against engagement with the deflector plates.

3. In a poultry scalder, a conveyor having means for supporting a bird to be scalded in suspended relationship thereto and for free rotation on a vertical axis; a pair of spaced, opposed rows of spray heads, each including a vertical row of spray nozzles disposed to direct jets of fluid against the bird as the latter is advanced by the conveyor, the spray heads of one row thereof being ofiset relative to the spray head of the other row thereof whereby the bird is caused to swing on said vertical axis by the force of said jets of fluid as the same is advanced by the conveyor; and a vertical deflector plate extending laterally from the spray heads within the path of travel of fluid emanating therefrom to form a diffused spray to impinge upon the bird.

GORDON W. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,045,079 Prunier et a1. Nov. 19, 1912 1,146,589 Morrison July 13, 1915 1,688,501 Larsen Oct. 23, 1928 2,412,338 Jasper Dec. 10, 1946 

